YORK City Knights boss James Ford remained convinced his side will still get into the Kingstone Press League One play-offs despite a fourth straight defeat.

The Knights now lie in fifth – the last play-off berth – with only a one-point advantage over sixth-placed Hunslet after a 20-6 defeat to bogey side Barrow Raiders at Bootham Crescent.

They also lost key packman Matty Dale to a growing injury list, with fears he will be ruled out for the season.

However, they have five games to go of the Super 8s – at Rochdale next Sunday, then at home to Hunslet, London Skolars and Doncaster, and lastly away to Keighley - and Ford expects a winning response, mirroring the attitude they showed in adversity at Toulouse last weekend which followed the much-publicised off-field crisis.

“All the teams we have to play, we’ve beaten them before (this season) and I see no reason why we can’t beat them again if we’re consistent one to 17,” he said, before suggesting what had cost his side in this latest outing.

“We just can’t have one or two blokes letting the team down.”

Russ Spiers had cancelled out Barrow’s first-half opener but, in a tough war of attrition with defences on top, the Cumbrians won the game with three tries in the last nine minutes.

Ford would not name whom he thought were culprits.

“We have to acknowledge that Barrow are a very good team,” he said. “They ran the ball hard and tackled hard. They played their part in a pretty good game and if I’m honest they probably did deserve the two points.

“As for my team, the effort was outstanding, with some unbelievable contacts, and the usual suspects worked their socks off.

“However, there were a couple of performances that fell a bit below the standards at this club.

“Barrow played with some decent shape and they have some huge middles who get them tempo, and Jamie Dallimore is a good half. But there were some really poor efforts individually from one or two (York) blokes on the edges, with one or two taking some soft options.

“That puts pressure on the real honest blokes who then have to work overtime.”

He added: “At half-time we spoke of composure but from some of the things we did I’m not sure they all know what composure means, with some forced offloads and running the ball on the last play in our 40.”

Ford still thought his side would win the game, up until Barrow’s late scores.

“We had some breaks and half-breaks and tries were coming on the back of it. But you’ve got to give credit to Barrow and their defensive resilience.

“They made a couple of really important tackles when we did break them.

“Apart from one or two blokes, I’m happy with what the majority did on the back of a very difficult weekend in France. That excuse will be gone next week and we’ll need a more consistent effectual 17.

“I’m a little bit annoyed, a little bit upset, a bit disappointed by what one or two people have done. I will have a look at the video, trying to work out why they did what they did.”

The result made it 11 straight defeats to Barrow, a run stretching back to 2007. But Ford made light of that hoodoo.

“We have to beat them at some point and I’m confident we will do that. I thought we were quite good but one or two things did not go to plan – but we were playing 17 players who are pretty good and try to stop you.

“I think we were let down by a couple of individual performances. I feel strongly about what they did and I need a response from them.”

Former Featherstone packman Dale, meanwhile, had to be helped off with a knee injury after only 11 minutes and was on crutches after the game.

“Matty’s not had a heap of luck with injuries in the last couple of years,” said Ford. “We’re hoping it’s not too serious. In Toulouse he was tremendous and I was hoping he could build form on the back of that. We’ll see how he reports in.”